A small intervention: Students' self-work sessions in calculus lectures

Overview & Synopsis

This study describes the effects of a small intervention, performed within the framework of participatory action research, in first semester calculus at an engineering college. The project is a collaboration between a pure mathematician and a mathematics education researcher, to study the effects of students' self-work (SW) on students' achievements, self-efficacy, learning habits and classroom discussion. In all classes, students were given quizzes with peer instruction; in some, they were also given 10' SW sessions. Both changes can be easily incorporated in large, coordinated courses. Multiple forms of data were collected: quiz results, questionnaires, exam questions, and reflections. The findings show that in groups with SW students' engagement, self-efficacy and achievements on the final exam improved, whereas failure rate lowered.